A Gift for Tom
by Draco-Hermy
Summary: Today is Tom Riddle's birthday. No one gave him anything, but he is determined to get a gift by midnight, no matter what it takes to do so. Disclaimer: I do not own HP. :)


**A/N It's Tom Riddle's birthday today, everybody! I've never done a Riddle story before, but now seems like the perfect time, doesn't it? Here we go!**

Today was December 31st. New Years Eve. A time of celebration for everyone around the world. Except for Tom Riddle.

Today was also his birthday, and though he'd gotten used to being ignored at the orphanage, his birthday was a different matter. Couldn't _someone_ acknowledge his existence for once? Perhaps with a gift? Even a simple "happy birthday" would have made his day.

He would have expected at least Miss Cole to say something. She was there when he was born here, in this very building. Wouldn't she remember? But no. She was too busy drinking gin and getting ready for the new year, preparing resolutions she would never keep.

Tom pushed open his door and peered out into the harshly lit hallway. Coming from his dark, solitary room, this made him squint and want to go back in his room. But he couldn't. He had a mission.

He walked slowly down the hall, making sure to look over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure no one was coming. No one was going to give him a gift? Okay, then. He'd get himself one.

There were many hidden corners and ways to stay unseen in the orphanage, and Tom, of course, knew them all. It was impossible that anyone could have knowledge superior to his. Impossible. Preposterous. There was one room in particular that Tom wanted to get to. He hoped it was empty.

Suddenly, the bells from the church next door tolled. Tom glanced at the clock on the wall, his eyes widening. It was eleven-thirty! Thirty minutes left to get a gift on his birthday. And he _had_ to get a gift. He just had to.

Finally, he got to the room. Thankfully, it _was_ empty. This was the only night they were let out after nine o' clock, because everyone wanted to celebrate the new year the moment it began. God forbid they waited a few hours until they weren't delirious.

Tom pushed open the door to the room and glanced inside. He smiled. It was right there, sitting on top of the dresser. The setup of this room was identical to Tom's, since they all were the same, so he didn't need much light to know where to go. But the dresser was too tall. It had always been. That was why Tom never put anything up there. He simply couldn't reach. So how would he get his gift?

That's when he dared to think about it. This power he'd always had that no one else understood. Could it help him? He'd never been fully in control of this power, because secretly, it scared him a little, but he concentrated really hard.

He wanted his gift. He _needed_ his gift. Twenty minutes to midnight. It was now or never. Tom took a deep breath, glaring at his target, and snapped his fingers.

Immediately, the gift wound its way down into Tom's hands. Delighted, he beamed and turned over the gift. It was his now. He'd gotten it fair and square, so it belonged to him. No matter he wasn't supposed to own this. He did now. And it was his.

Just before Tom could make his escape, the sound of a lone pair of feet pounding down the hallway reached his ears. _No,_ he thought. _No, no, no._ This couldn't be happening. He was so close! He had his gift, all he had to do was get away, and now he was going to get caught by the previous owner of his gift.

"I'll be right back!" the boy shouted down the hall. "I just need to get my horn!"

"Be quick about it, then!" a girl called after him, the sound muffled by the distance.

"I'll be fine," the boy muttered, and ran into the room. His gaze was uninterrupted, as Tom had thought on his feet and jumped under the bed. He thanked God the bedcovering hung low over the sides. He heard the boy searching his room for his horn. Tom thought he would never leave. How unorganized could the boy be?

Finally, after what seemed like hours but could have only been minutes, the boy left, slapping his feet against the hard tiles that made up the floor. "I've got it! Don't do anything without me!" he called after his friends.

Tom shoved his way out from under the bed, his heart pounding in his throat. That had almost been the end. He almost hadn't gotten a gift for his birthday. He slunk back to his room, where he sat the gift on his bed.

It was embarrassing that he'd wanted this over all the other things he could've gotten. A lonely, worn-out teddy bear with black buttons for eyes and a brown curved line of stiches for the mouth. The thing was, Tom never owned a teddy bear. He was ashamed to want something so badly that all the other children already had, but he deserved a teddy bear! He'd grown up in the orphanage, surrounded by people caring for everyone except him.

One year for Christmas, everyone had been given a bag of sweets except for him. Miss Cole tried to tell him that it must have gotten lost, because she definitely got one for him, but he walked away before she could say any more. They hadn't lost it, or forgotten, and no one had stolen it from him. Miss Cole had simply _not_ gotten a gift for Tom Riddle.

And now look at him. He'd gotten his gift. The boy wouldn't miss it, he had at least seven of them. He was so unorganized, he'd just think he lost it. But he'd be wrong, because it belonged to Tom now, this teddy bear.

Tom sat there, staring at his gift that no one had given him, until the bells tolled again, until it was officially a new year. Until it was officially no longer possible for anyone to give him anything for his birthday.

**A/N Please review! It would mean a lot to me! All you have to do is fill out that little box below and say something. For Tommy? :) Happy 2013, everybody!**


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